On Tuesday, the Brentwood City Council will review the Design Review and Conditional Use Permit of The Grove at Brentwood.
On May 5, the planning commission approved the project in a 5-0 vote. A new 35,690 square foot, two-story multi-tenant commercial building (that could feature cafés and shops which may or may not sell craft beer/wine/spirits), 24,000 square foot outdoor seating area (with various amenities), community theater, and on-site and off-site improvements located on a 4-acre site at the southeast corner of Walnut Boulevard and Oak Street.
Three days later, on May 8, the item was called for review by Councilmember Jovita Mendoza.
According to the staff report, Mendoza specifically requested a review of the CUP portion of the project and not the Design Review – however, a call for review triggers an entirely new hearing resulting in the entirety of the project being heard and the council must now decide to approve/deny both the Design Review and Conditional Use Permit.
The project proponent, Matt Hagar, has paid a total of $52,244.65 to cover staff time and materials associated with the project.
Although staff did not include Mendoza’s formal request in the 14 documents associated with the staff report, sources say it was pulled over alcohol sales, hours of operation and “family friendly” within the CUP.
According to the staff report, which now includes a “Downtown Alcohol Establishment Map“, there are 21locations that are allowed to serve alcohol — depending on their alcohol permit.
During the planning commission meeting, the Planning Commission deliberated and asked staff and the applicant questions. The questions and deliberation centered around noise, parking, and alcohol sales (including the proposed hours). Ideas suggested by the Planning Commission included limiting alcohol sales to 10:00 p.m. but only during certain days (Monday-Wednesday). Ultimately, the Planning Commission did not reach a consensus on this concern that would warrant modifying the proposed hours of alcohol sales, and the project was unanimously approved with a limitation of midnight.
According to the project, Due to the nature of the public market hosting multiple boutique/artisan tenants and cafés, it is likely that one or more of the future tenants would request to also sell or serve alcohol. Therefore, the applicant is requesting approval of a CUP for on-site alcohol sales, to be used for cafés or on-site events where patrons are served alcohol to be consumed on-site, and off-site sale of alcohol where craft beer, wine, or spirits are sold to be taken home. As of now, no tenants have been identified, but when they lease a space or host an event, they would be required to obtain the appropriate ABC license.
Project Applicant Asks for Public Support
On Wednesday, the following statement was released by the applicant, Matt Hagar:
As most of you are aware, our project vote passed via the Planning Commission on May 5 with a 5-0 unanimous vote.
Unfortunately, we are disappointed to report that despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback and enthusiasm, a City Council member has chosen to appeal the Planning Commission vote and pull it up for additional review at the City Council level. We have been scheduled for this hearing next Tuesday, June 9th, at 7 pm, and we need your help!!! Your voice matters, and your attendance at the meeting in person absolutely makes a difference. No need to speak if you are not comfortable, your presence is enough.
If that isn’t feasible, emails of support are also very helpful and can be sent to [email protected].
Thank you all for your continuous support and excitement for this project. It has been a very arduous road, but the community rallying around this project is what has continued to give us the motivation to keep moving forward despite the continuous obstacles.
At the May 5 planning commission meeting, both the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce and members of the Donwtown Brentwood Coalition expressed support for the project,including multiple residents from around the city.
As of Friday, there are 16 pages of written comment in support of the project.
Mendoza Pulls Multiple Projects Over the Years
Mendoza has been known to pull projects or find ways to delay them which over the last few years include the following:
- Bridle Gate (built anyway)
- Costco (built anyway)
- Downtown Fire Station rebuild (cost taxpayers $500k for change of brick color and window shapes a last minute)
- Eight Acres (CUP for hours of operation)
- Lazy Dog (no longer coming to Brentwood)
- Popeye’s (no longer coming to Brentwood)
- Toro Viejo Taqueria (open, but very limited hours for selling beer & wine)
- Vineyard Academy
- several small residential development
If You Go
Brentwood City Council Meeting
City Council Chambers, 150 City Park Way Brentwood, CA 94513
Full Agenda – click here
Previous
- June 3, 2026 – The Grove at Brentwood Pulled by Councilmember, Project to go Before City Council
- May 5, 2026 – Updated: Planning Commission Approves The Grove in Brentwood
- April 2026 – The Grove: Brentwood Commercial Project Drawing Strong Community Support
